David Nweze Umahi, Minister of Works and father of popular young Nigerian businessman, Osborn Nweze, the Chief Executive Officer of Osborn La Palm Royal Resort in Port Harcourt, has emerged as the best performing minister in the administration of President Bola Tinubu, in the last one year.
The Tinubu administration recently took stock of its one-year in office, as cabinet ministers gave accounts of their stewardship since they assumed office. The minister of works, better known as Dave Umahi, previously served as the deputy governor of Ebonyi State, from 2011 to 2015. He was then elected as governor, from 2015 to 2023. After his tenure in office, he was elected as senator representing Ebonyi South Senatorial District in 2023, before being appointed as a minister.
Dave Umahi stands tall as one of the reasons Nigerians are pleased with Tinubu’s administration, owing to the massive projects undertaken by the ministry under his leadership in the last 365 days. Being handed the portfolio by the president was a headhunt by the present administration. He built over 20 flyovers in eight years as governor of Ebonyi, among other projects of reference, with the little resources that accrue to one of the states with meagre federal allocation and internally generated revenue. Little wonder President Tinubu chose him to be the first Igbo minister for works in Nigeria’s history—a demonstration of impartiality and merit.
Dave Umahi boasts of over 30years of engineering experience, having succeeded in private practice. The politician is a fellow of Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE). The choice of him to do exploits in the works ministry by President Tinubu was not only carefully decided, but also divinely initiated, to redeem the nation’s infrastructural deficit and resuscitate several abandoned federal projects across the country, to ease movement of people and goods, and contribute to the economic growth of the nation.
It is common knowledge, that the choice for Dave Umahi as minister for works was based on competence, proving over the years as an erudite and well-grounded engineer, who has demonstrated competence and capacity in his field of endeavour. He is a clear paradigm shift from the tradition of placing square pegs in round holes. The minister is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and Fellow of the Nigeria Association of Technologists in Engineering.
The significance of his position and competence in office is instructive. Dave Umahi will not only bridge the political, religious, and ethnic gaps, but also entrench monumental development, commitment, and dedication, by providing the country with a new road map in the area of infrastructural transformation going forward. The strides made by the new minister of works, even while as governor, have shown that competence and capacity are not just key, but a clear departure from what was done in the past. The minister of works has among other things, demonstrated the charisma to deliver on his mandate, build physical bridges and unite the country if given the necessary support to function.
On April 4th 2024, Commissioner of Transportation in Lagos State, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, announced the successful reopening of the popular Third Mainland Bridge, after an extensive maintenance works by the Federal Ministry of Works. “Sincere appreciation to Mr. President, the Honorable Minister of Works, David Umahi, & our Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State for their invaluable support,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
In the last 365 days of this administration, Dave Umahi has been working on building safe and durable concrete roads across the country, and has been sighted inspecting road projects at various sites, putting recalcitrant contractors on their toes. The minister recently made headlines when the Federal Government awarded the Lagos to Calabar coastal highway, which will immensely transform the economic ecosystem of the country. These are why he ranks as the undisputable top-performing minister in President Tinubu’s cabinet.
